RF MEMS Switches With $\hbox{RuO}_{2}$ –$\hbox{Au}$ Contacts Cycled to 10 Billion Cycles

Autor:	Gary A. Patrizi, G.M. Kraus, William D. Cowan, Christopher D. Nordquist, David A. Czaplewski
Rok vydání:	2013
Předmět:	Microelectromechanical systems Fabrication Materials science business.industry Mechanical Engineering Optical switch Electrical contacts law.invention Relay law Electronic engineering Optoelectronics Insertion loss Electrical and Electronic Engineering business Ruthenium Compounds
Zdroj:	Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems. 22:655-661
ISSN:	1941-0158 1057-7157
DOI:	10.1109/jmems.2013.2239256
Popis:	We present improvements in RF microelectromechanical switch design and fabrication that demonstrated improved lifetimes in cycled switches. First, implementation of RuO2-Au contact metallurgy into an existing design showed improved switch lifetime over switches with Pt-Au, Ir-Au, and Au-Au contacts. Second, the switch design was changed to reduce impact upon switch closure, and the fabrication process was changed to avoid the use of polymer sacrificial materials while including the RuO2-Au contact metallurgy. Switches with the new design were cycled to 10 billion cycles with a resistance less than 4 Ω, an insertion loss of 0.4 dB, and an isolation of 28.0 dB at 10 GHz. We propose that the catalytic behavior of the RuO2 film prevents or delays the failure of the switches due to accumulation of carbon at the contacts. Additionally, the reduced impact upon closure prevented significant contact evolution during cycling.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::8347896464629bce2253dce5652641cd https://doi.org/10.1109/jmems.2013.2239256 Zobrazit plný text záznamu